The Denver Nuggets got off on the right foot on Saturday, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 1-0 lead in the first round of their Western Conference matchup. 

The Nuggets were led by Jamal Murray, who had a game-high 30 points. Murray did struggle from the field, shooting just 7-22 and 0-8 from three, but he went to the free throw line 16 times, knocking down all 16 attempts. 

Nikola Jokic recorded his 22nd career triple double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. 

Aaron Gordon had 17 points while fellow starters Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun each had 12. 

The game was tied at 62 at the half, but the Nuggets came out with a renewed focus on both ends of the floor. The Nuggets outscored the Timberwolves 29-17 in the third, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. 

Speaking to the media after the game, Murray game what he thought was the turning point of the game. 

"I thought the third quarter [it changed] to me. It felt like we just had a good run, got some stops, forced a couple turnovers. I thought Bruce [Brown] had really good hands today, Jok [Nikola Jokić], CB [Christian Braun]. So, I think our defense helped us ignite those runs. We just held the lead up until the end of the game. So, it could have been both the second and third quarter," he said. 

The Timberwolves cut the lead to two in the middle of the fourth, but the Nuggets managed to pull away down the stretch. 

The Nuggets trailed by ten entering the second quarter, but began to chip away with nine minutes left in the quarter to narrow the gap before tying things as the two teams headed into the locker rooms. 

Murray took half of his 16 free throws in the second, playing with physicality downhill and forcing the Timberwolves to commit fouls. 

The Timberwolves shot 6-23 from the field in the third quarter and 2-9 from three while committing four turnovers. 

The Nuggets made only one of their eight three point attempts, but got into the paint and ended up shooting 12-26 from the field. Jokic played all 12 minutes in the fourth, going 6-10 from the field for 12 points to go along with four rebounds. 

The Timberwolves generated decent looks in the third, but simply couldn't convert on their opportunities.